Jiang Yan brought Beidou to the bathroom.
After explaining how everything worked, he filled the bath barrel with hot water for her and prepared a clean towel before leaving the room.
Beidou stood there blankly, clearly still unable to process everything that had happened.
After all, in the past she could only bathe with cold water—she simply never had the conditions for hot baths.
Not to mention new clothes or steaming hot meals.
So everything happening right now made her feel dazed, as if she were dreaming.
Even in her dreams, she had never dared imagine something this wonderful.
Following the method Jiang Yan had taught her, Beidou carefully stepped into the bath barrel.
The warm water brought waves of comfort, causing her to let out a soft sigh.
Steam rose around her, dampening her hair. The warm mist brushed against her cheeks, tinting them with a faint blush.
Perhaps it was the heat—or perhaps something else—but little Beidou suddenly rubbed her eyes.
She had a master now.
She would never have to wander again.
The feeling of no longer drifting through the world alone…
It was wonderful.
Because she had wandered for so long, little Beidou was extremely sensible.
She only soaked for a short while before quickly scrubbing the dirt from her body and stepping out.
At that moment, Ganyu had just returned.
"Oh? You finished washing already?"
Ganyu looked at her in surprise. From the time she left to the time she returned had only been about fifteen minutes.
"Why did you come out without drying your hair?"
Seeing Beidou's dripping wet hair, Ganyu frowned slightly and hurried over to pick her up.
Placing little Beidou gently on her soft lap, Ganyu took a dry towel and carefully dried her hair.
"If you come out with wet hair, you'll catch a cold."
After drying it thoroughly, Ganyu helped Beidou change into her new clothes.
Looking down at her outfit, Beidou felt a little uncomfortable.
She wasn't used to wearing clothes made from such soft fabric.
Beidou herself was naturally pretty. After washing away the grime, her skin was fair and her features delicate.
Just like Ningguang, she was clearly a beautiful little girl in the making.
A cute child like this—especially dressed in new clothes—would melt anyone's heart.
"So adorable!"
Ganyu happily hugged little Beidou and rubbed her cheeks against the girl's soft face.
Sure enough, women had absolutely zero resistance to cute things.
Beidou also ate dinner quickly.
She worried that if she ate too much or too messily, her Master's Wife might dislike her.
Seeing this, Jiang Yan didn't say anything. He simply assumed Beidou was tired from the day, so he took her upstairs to choose a room.
The second floor of Jiang Yan's house was quite large, with six or seven rooms.
Ningguang sometimes came over to stay in one.
Another room was used by Jiang Yan to grow flowers and plants.
And one room was shared by Jiang Yan and Ganyu.
Beidou originally wanted to pick the smallest room.
She wasn't greedy—just having a place to call home was already a great happiness.
Perhaps because she had wandered for too long, Beidou did everything cautiously.
But after Jiang Yan showed her around, she realized something.
Every room here was large.
And they were all the same size.
Since Jiang Yan had built the house using Wood Release, he had simply made every room identical.
In the end, Beidou chose the room next to Jiang Yan's.
Jiang Yan didn't interfere at all.
He knew that since Beidou had just arrived, she would naturally act cautiously.
But that was normal.
Time would smooth everything out.
"Alright, then this room is yours."
Jiang Yan gently rubbed Beidou's head.
"Get some rest early. The bedding on the bed is brand new."
Little Beidou nodded vigorously.
"Mhm! Brother Jiang Yan, you should rest early too!"
After saying that, Beidou walked into the room, and Jiang Yan kindly closed the door for her.
After entering the room, Beidou walked around once before slowly lying down on the bed.
Her eyes were still filled with disbelief.
How long had it been since she last slept on a bed?
A very long time.
So long that she couldn't even remember.
She used to envy people who could sleep comfortably in beds.
But now she didn't have to envy them anymore.
Because she had a home.
She had a master who treated her very well.
And a gentle master's wife.
Even in her happiness, Beidou remained cautious.
She didn't even dare make noise when turning over, afraid she might disturb Jiang Yan and Ganyu.
But soon, as sleepiness washed over her, Beidou slowly closed her eyes and curled up as she drifted into deep sleep.
Meanwhile, after closing the door, Jiang Yan walked into the room where he kept his plants.
He pushed open the door.
In the center of the room lay a pure white branch.
It was a branch Jiang Yan had requested from Greater Lord Rukkhadevata after he helped cleanse the forbidden knowledge attached to the Irminsul.
It was the purest branch of the World Tree.
Yes—after the Khaenri'ah War ended five hundred years ago, Jiang Yan had already begun preparing for Nahida's birth.
In the original timeline, Rukkhadevata had placed her own divine authority into a branch and sent it through reincarnation, which eventually gave birth to Nahida as the Dendro Archon.
But now things were different.
Rukkhadevata was still alive and well in Sumeru.
And Jiang Yan had no intention of making Nahida take over Sumeru.
He wanted Nahida to grow up happily.
Besides, with the Soul Gem in his possession, he didn't need to send her through reincarnation.
All he had to do was use the Soul Gem's power to nurture the branch.
When Nahida's soul fully condensed, the branch would become her vessel and transform into Nahida's form.
Jiang Yan had even already thought of the excuse.
She would be—
His newly born little sister.
After all, as a Wood Spirit, having a little sister who was also a spirit wasn't unreasonable, right?
Ehe. 😏
Jiang Yan raised his hand, and the Soul Gem began to glow.
A soft light swayed along the World Tree branch.
Through the Soul Gem, Jiang Yan could clearly see something.
Inside the center of the branch, a small white-haired girl was curled up quietly, sleeping peacefully.
After five hundred years of nurturing, her soul had almost fully formed.
Once Nahida's soul completely condensed, Jiang Yan would use the spatial coordinates he had left inside the World Tree to enter Irminsul again—
And let the World Tree finish nurturing Nahida. 🌿✨
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